Friday, October 31, 2008

Two Majestic Mosques Of Brunei

Touring the Empire Hotel and Country Club was the perfect introduction to the beauty of Brunei. The luxurious hotel can be compared to the appetizer of a 10-course meal where the food that you savor just keeps on getting better with every bite.

There are so many places to explore in this regal country. Brunei’s climate of high temperature and extreme humidity did not even bother me most especially since I am already used to living in a country where the average temperature is around 28 degrees Celsius.

Given that Brunei is predominantly a Muslim country, I made it a point to include a visit to the different mosques in my travel itinerary. From my research before my trip, I learned that there are two impressive mosques that are worthy of a visit and one of them is even located in the middle of a shopping district!

The first mosque in my list was the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque which was built in 1958. It was named after Omar Ali Saifuddien, the 28th Sultan of Brunei, who is also fondly referred to by locals as the “architect of modern Brunei.” Currently, it is considered one of the most magnificent mosques in the entire Southeast Asian region. This mosque is a dominating structure that can be found on the river banks of Bandar. It is not hard to find this mosque as it is located right smack in the town center of Bandar Seri Begawan.